WOLFVILLE, NS, Sept. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - From ratatouille, foie gras, rappie pie to jambalaya, the 13th Annual Devour! The Food Film Fest brings the best French, Acadian, Québecois, Cajun and Creole cuisine and culture together in a transformative food and film experience. From October 23-29, Michelin-starred Alsatian Chef Gabriel Kreuther from New York, legend of New Orleans' Cajun cuisine Chef Megan "Meg" Bickford of The Commander's Palace, the rising stars of Acadian cuisine Chef Gene Cormier of Euston Park Social from Moncton and Chef Shane Robicheau from Nova Scotia, and world-renowned filmmakers, will come together in person to explore the roots and future of French cuisine on screen and the plate.
Devour! The Food Film Festival takes place in Wolfville, Nova Scotia's agricultural and wine heartland and home to the Grand-Pré National Historic Site. This year's festival includes 58 events, 45 films, 24 screenings, Celebrity Chef gala dinners, 16 culinary workshops, experiential foraging and farming tours, and live music events, including a zydeco band straight from Lafayette, Louisiana, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, and so much more.
Acadian director Phil Comeau will open this year's festival with his film Zachary Richard, Cajun Heart. In this film, world-renowned singer Zachary Richard is on a quest to understand the trials and tribulations of his ancestors, why Acadians and Cajuns are such resilient people and the pertinence of the Acadian identity today. This year's closing film, Food and Country, is a post-COVID documentary on the restaurant business created by celebrated NY Times food critic Ruth Reichl.
Working with key French partners, Consulat général de France à Moncton et Halifax, the Government of the French Republic, represented by the Prefecture of Saint-Pierre & Miquelon, Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage – Office of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, Bureau du Québec dans les Provinces Atlantiques, Centre de la francophonie des Amériques, United States Consulate General – Halifax, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Le Congrès Mondial Acadien, Alliance Française Halifax, and the Landscape of Grand Pré, this year's festival will also have three themed days including Fête du Québec (Thursday, Oct. 26), France Day, (Friday, Oct. 27), Le Congrès Mondial Acadien Day Celebrating Acadian and Cajun Culture and Food, (Saturday, Oct. 28).
A delegation of Québec's best food producers, chefs, food experts, and manufacturers will help us uncover the gastronomy of Québec alongside longtime festival favourite Chef Renée Lavallée, who originally hails from Québec. The rising stars of Acadian cuisine, Chefs Shane Robicheau (NS), Paul Thimot (NS) and Gene Cormier (NB), will go head to head with Chef Patrick Mould from Lafayette to host the Saturday Acadian-Cajun food showdown at the Devour! Fais do-do and later that evening, Joe Martin (NS), Max Daigle (NB), and Robert Pendergast (PEI), will create a gigantic Acadian Flag out of fresh seafood at the Acadian Cajun Zydeco party.
Esteemed French chefs from Lyon, France and Saint-Pierre & Miquelon - Pierre Michael Martin of the celebrated Le Pimousse in Lyon, award-winning pastry Chef Christophe Measson, now the resident Executive Pastry Chef at the Shaw Ottawa Convention Centre, and Chef Nathalie Goupilliere from Saint-Pierre & Miquelon will bring their passion and mouth-watering creations to this year's Festival.
"We are thrilled to be able to bring together both Michelin Star Chefs and rising stars of global gastronomy to explore the influences and impact of Acadian, Cajun, Creole and Québecois cuisine on French food and culture," says Chef Michael Howell, Executive Director of Devour! "How the permutations of French cuisine have peppered the international culinary scene shows the depth of importance that French cooking has had on the world, from simple bistro to bayou cuisine from Louisiana to the Michelin Star experience."
"This year's program offers our Devour! guests a true chance to explore food and film, from major French film dramas to fascinating documentaries about striving for Michelin stars as a female chef in a male-dominated universe to the unique culture and tastes of Creole and Cajun cuisine in Louisiana, a true ethnic melting pot," says Managing Director Lia Rinaldo, Devour!.
Other Food and Film Highlights:
Festival favourites like the Devour! Chowder Smackdown; Le Marché de Blomidon hosted by Canadian Culinary Students (formerly the Street Food Rally); Le Tour de l'Acadie (bike ride), the Great Devour! Cajun Chicken Community Supper, in support of regional food banks, will be back and offer a family and budget-friendly way to experience this year's Festival.
The full program, ticket information, and VIP and Weekend getaway packages with the Old Orchard Inn are available at www.devourfest.com.
About:
Devour! The Food Film Fest is the largest food film festival in the world. The annual week-long festival is a transformative food and film experience combining cinematic excellence with 100+ events, celebrated filmmakers, and high-profile chefs from around the globe. Devour! challenges people to think differently and create a deeper connection to food. The festival's finely curated program highlights current food trends and issues, farming, sustainability, and the impact of current food systems on our lives.
SOURCE Devour! The Food Film Fest
Media Contact: Natasha Compton, BeCurious PR, [email protected], 902.499.4095
Share this article